


Emotionally Compromised

by Cat2000



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29636175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/pseuds/Cat2000
Summary: Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the Star Trek movies (alternate timelines) and I’m not making any money from this ficSummary: A different take on Kirk’s awakening in Into Darkness
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock
Comments: 1
Kudos: 60
Collections: Froday Flash Fiction Fandom Battle





	Emotionally Compromised

**Author's Note:**

> Warning(s): Spoilers up to and including Star Trek: Into Darkness of the alternate timeline movies; references to violence and death; AU
> 
> Pairing: Spock/Kirk

Being dead shouldn’t hurt this much.

Kirk groaned and forced his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was the fact that he was in the medical area. The white walls and bed, along with the strong stench of disinfectant that irritated his nose and the steady sound of machines beeping, helped to clue him in to that fact.

Kirk let out a low groan and rolled his head to one side, catching sight of Bones as the other man ran a scanner over his body. They locked eyes with each other and Bones nodded. “You’re going to be sore for a while, but you should make a full recovery. So long as you don’t strain yourself too much.”

“You say that like I won’t listen to you.” Kirk tried to smile, but he had the feeling it didn’t come across as sincere as it should. Especially not if the way Bones shook his head and sighed was any indication. Closing his eyes, Kirk breathed in deep and asked, “So why aren’t I dead? Pretty sure the amount of radiation I absorbed should have killed me.”

“You could thank Khan for that. If he were still here to thank.”

At the familiar calm voice, Kirk carefully rolled his head to the other side and locked eyes with Spock, sitting on a chair next to his hospital bed. “You killed Khan?” Somehow, he knew he wouldn’t be surprised if so. Spock might be half-Vulcan, but he was also half-human…and that human part of him made him emotional. No matter how much he tried to hide and pretend that he felt nothing.

Spock met his eyes and said, simply, “No.”

“Oh.” Taken aback by the blunt response, Kirk let his head drop back against the pillow. He wouldn’t tell Bones or Spock, but he was tired. And aching all over. He should really be happy to be alive…but really, all he wanted was to sleep. He just didn’t have the energy to pretend he was fine about Spock being so unaffected by what had happened to him.

Of course, Spock _was_ here in medical bay with him, rather than doing any one of his many duties he had to have been left with.

Bones snorted softly, his next words breaking into Kirk’s self-reflection. “Came damned close to it.”

“I am certain you would have done the same if our positions had been reversed, Doctor,” Spock stated.

“No arguments from me there,” Bones agreed.

Kirk rolled his head carefully to the side to focus on Spock. “Really? You were emotionally compromised? Because of me?” He felt warm inside. It was surprising, really. The two of them hadn’t got off to the best start on their first meeting, but now?

Well, Kirk had known they were friends. But this knowledge that Spock had been prepared to kill Khan, for _him_ , made him feel good in a way he hadn’t expected to.

Spock looked back at Kirk, looked into his eyes, then looked past him at Bones. “Can you give us some privacy?” he requested.

“I can’t believe you’re asking me to leave my patients,” Bones muttered.

“Wait, how many patients _are_ there in here?” Kirk braced his hands on the mattress and levered himself up, trying to look around the room.

Bones pushed him back down. “Just you right now.”

“Oh.” Kirk let himself get pushed back as he said, “I’ll be fine, Bones.” He smiled at his friend. “Maybe if it was anyone else here with me, but come on. It’s Spock. Even if I _was_ inclined to get up, he’d never let me without calling you to give me a lecture.”

“He’ll be all right, Doctor,” Spock said calmly.

“Hmm.” Bones looked at both of them before finally nodding. “If anything changes, if he tries to leave, let me know,” he informed Spock, before walking away.

Kirk tried to watch Bones leave, but his neck ached too much to keep his eyes on the other man and he let his head drop back against the pillow. “So is this the part where I prepare for a lecture from _you_?” he asked wryly. “This is probably the best time you’ve got to make sure I listen. I don’t really want to walk out of here and have Bones ticked at me.”

“He’s not ‘ticked’ at you, Jim. He’s worried about you.”

There was a strange, nearly unrecognisable note in Spock’s voice and Kirk turned his head to the side to look at him. Spock’s face was as calm and expressionless as ever, but the hitched tone in his voice suggested he might not be as emotionally unaffected as he’d pretend. “Don’t tell me _you’re_ worried about me, Spock. I’m sure a whole lot of problems would be solved for you if I wasn’t here.”

“Do you really think I’d be happy if you were dead?”

Kirk closed his eyes as he gave the question the consideration he felt it deserved. “Maybe not _happy_ ,” he finally allowed. “But I was willing to sacrifice myself because it was the right thing to do. I thought like a Vulcan. I would have thought you’d be _happy_ about that.”

“You thought and reacted like a Vulcan,” Spock allowed. “And _I_ thought and reacted like a human. All I could think of was getting revenge. All I could think of was that you were dead.”

Kirk flinched, unable to help but react to the knowledge he’d come so close to dying. Actually _had_ died. And while dying itself didn’t scare him, the fact that _nothing_ had been waiting for him when he was gone did scare him. He didn’t remember anything between losing consciousness and waking up in the medical bay. “So you were emotionally compromised?”

“I was emotionally compromised. Because of you.”

Kirk opened his eyes when he felt long, cool fingers wrap around his hand. He looked down at his hand, clasped in Spock’s, and then up at him. “I made you emotionally compromised?”

“I thought you were dead.” Spock said the words again, but they were uttered in a low, pained voice as he gripped Kirk’s hand that bit tighter. “I lost control. Because I thought _you_ were lost.”

“So you’re telling me that you actually like me?” Kirk grinned. He used the hand that wasn’t being held to push himself up, arching his head up to press his lips against Spock’s.

The Vulcan’s lips were soft and warm and Spock kissed back. They stayed like that for a few moments until Kirk lost his energy boost and had to flop back onto the bed. “Damnit. I can’t even kiss you,” he complained.

Spock’s smile was tiny, but lit up his entire face…at least as far as Kirk was concerned. “Then perhaps I should do the work this time.” He lowered his head and pressed his lips against Kirk’s.

Relaxing into the kiss and bringing his free hand up to cup Spock’s face, Kirk couldn’t help but think, despite everything, this had all been worth it.

** The End **


End file.
